Iran unveils first domestically built long-range air missile defense system in Tehran

Iran announces production of turbojet cruise missile technology while unveiling domestically built S-300-like system

Iran unveiled its first domestically builtlong-range air missile defense system during a arms and military ceremony in Tehran on Sunday, the system very similar to the S-300 system purchased from Russia.

The system, Bavar-373 (Belief 373), is part of Iran’s ongoing and evolving military developments, particularly in its missile program.

The Bavar-373 holds capabilities such as engaging missiles, fighter jets, drones and ballistic missiles. It includes missile-launcher vehicles and missile guidance systems and advanced radar engagement.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan stated on the missile system that “Our goal was not to make an Iranian version of the S-300, but rather a [new] Iranian system” which Iran built domestically.

Dehqan also confirmed Iran’s ongoing development of its turbojet cruise missile technology. He stated that the technology would be developed in the “near future” and “could increase the speed of our missiles,” adding that “in the near future will achieve the technology to produce underwater supersonic cruise missile, as well… We have greatly increased the range of our marine cruise missiles and currently possess missiles with a range of 200 kilometers, which are anti-ship and anti-surface.” He reported changes in “strategic systems” of its cruises missiles in the “increasing power of their engines and ranges.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was present at the ceremony, boasted of Iran as “one of only eight countries in the world that have mastered the technology to build [such] engines.”

The announcements come following Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission announcement over the weekend that Iranian-Russian military cooperation would increase and expand in the near future, a spokesman for the Commission, Hossein Naghavi Hosseini stating that Iran would cooperate and assist Russia in “combatting ISIS”. Hosseini also confirmed that the Russian purchased S-300 surface-to-air missile would be delivered and functional in its entirety by March of 2016 and that Iran had already begun training personnel to operate the missile system.